The process will be relatively straightforward and un-bureaucratic. A dedicated, experienced member of the Investing in Children (IiC)  team has been allocated to this project. A discussion will take place between the IiC assessor and the research team in which the strength of the evidence will be considered and a realistic assessment of the chance of success will be offered.

A series of visits will then be arranged and conversations will take place with the people who are involved in the research, in which they will provide evidence of dialogue and change.

These conversations can focus on collective decision making and/or individual decision making. A report will then be drafted, based upon the evidence. The people who contributed to the conversations will be invited to check the report and approve its recommendations. If the evidence is positive, and they endorse the conclusions, then a Dialogue and Change Award will be given to the project.

Where there is insufficient evidence to justify an Award, further discussions may take place between IiC and the research team, which will be encouraged to regroup and try again. This often this leads to enthusiastic and imaginative conversations between those involved, which then becomes the evidence that supports a successful re-evaluation.